Latest news with #Strydom
The South African
8 hours ago
- General
- The South African
Massive 3.9m python captured in residential estate near Kruger Park
A 3.9-metre African rock python was safely captured after being discovered inside a residential estate bordering the Kruger National Park, prompting swift action by local snake rescue experts. The Phalaborwa Herpetological Society responded to the scene after a domestic helper spotted the snake slithering along the perimeter wall of the house. She alerted the homeowner, who immediately contacted professionals to handle the situation. Rescue team members Fanie Strydom, Hendrik Ferreira, Etienne Dewet, and Pieter van Merwe managed to safely capture the large female python and relocate it to a nearby protected nature reserve. Thankfully, no one in the household – including children and pets – was harmed. 'Please do not attempt to handle or harm snakes,' Strydom advised. 'These animals are protected by law and play a crucial role in our ecosystem, controlling rodent populations and maintaining ecological balance.' Strydom has issued a public safety advisory, reminding residents living near wildlife areas to stay calm, keep a safe distance, and call trained professionals in the event of snake encounters. The incident serves as a reminder of the close proximity between humans and nature in regions like Phalaborwa. As residential areas expand near protected wildlife zones, sightings of snakes and other wild animals are becoming more frequent. Environmentalists urge communities to educate themselves about local wildlife and adopt a conservation-minded approach to such encounters. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
6 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Freedom of expression has limits, Supreme Court rules in social media defamation case
The Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that neither the Constitution nor freedom of expression is an excuse for defamation. Image: FILE Neither the Constitution nor freedom of expression protects a person who posts defamatory material concerning another on social media, the Supreme Court of Appeal ruled in turning down an appeal by a farmer after his Facebook post sparked death threats against an attorney. A dispute arose between Pretoria attorney Pieter Strydom and farmer Francois Harman after the latter accused Strydom in a Facebook post of targeting white farmers. Strydom, upset by the contents of the post, obtained an urgent interdict against Harman to stop harassing him. The high court found that Harman and his friends and followers on his Facebook account posted and published offensive and life-threatening defamatory statements concerning Strydom. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Some of the postings were found by the high court to amount to a smear campaign. The high court ordered Harman to remove the published material from his Facebook account, which referred to Strydom. Harman was further ordered to submit, under oath, a list of the particulars of the persons who made the responding postings. While Harman had meanwhile removed his posts, he turned to the SCA to appeal against the fact that he had to disclose the particulars of his followers who published threats against Strydom. Strydom is an attorney and insolvency practitioner who also represents the Land and Agricultural Development Bank of South Africa and its financial agent, Unigro Financial Services. The Land Bank and Unigro advance loans to farmers, subject to agreed terms and conditions, which include mortgaging their farms as collateral. The loan agreements provide for annual instalment payments of the amount loaned, due to seasonal harvest of the crops. Whenever a farmer falls in default of payment, the Land Bank instructs its attorneys, in this case, Strydom's law firm, to institute legal proceedings to recover the debt. Included among the farmers was Harman and his company, who fell into arrears with payments. Harman took to his Facebook account, stating that Strydom and some officials at the Land Bank were the cause of his problems. Strydom obtained an interdict against Harman, prohibiting him from committing verbal abuse through electronic communication as well as refraining from harassing him. The order was obtained in Harman's absence. The following day, a messenger tried to serve him with the protection order, but Harman denied them entry into his house and instead photographed them. After they left, he again took to his Facebook account and posted the pictures together with a post regarding how the lives of white farmers are made difficult in the country. On the same day, his Facebook post was followed by a slew of other vitriolic postings from different persons - some made death threats towards Strydom. This resulted in the court ordering him to take down his post and to disclose the identities of those who had levelled threats and made defamatory statements towards Strydom. Harman refused to submit the list of his Facebook friends involved and cited various excuses, including that 'the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) prevented him from divulging this information. He also stated freedom of expression as an excuse. To post a message on Facebook that someone 'needs a bullet between the eyes' is an impermissible exercise of freedom of expression. The right to freedom of expression, like all rights, has limits. The one obvious limit is when its exercise encroaches into the domain of another person's right, the SCA said. It found that Strydom is entitled to the list of persons responsible for these unlawful acts in order to vindicate his rights, if he deems fit to do so. Cape Times
The Citizen
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
Striker: Exit the master jockey
Peerless Piere Strydom has finally called it a day. Trainer and old friend Sean Tarry sums it up well: 'If you want to learn how to ride racehorses, just watch Piere Strydom.' Racing fans in Gqeberha nicknamed Strydom 'Striker' early in his career – when he was starting out as a jockey in his hometown in the 1980s – because of his uncommon ability to precisely judge the pace of a race and fly up from behind to win by a whisker. His father Hekkie, a former jockey and trainer in the Windy City, lectured him from an early age about a race not being won at the 200m pole but rather at the winning post. The truth is young Strydom won a lot of races by leading all the way, utilising a coastal tailwind to get away – and stay away – from rivals. Indeed, in those days frontrunning victories were a lot rarer than they are now and Strydom was influential in major tactical changes in the game – even after he moved to Joburg in 1889/90 and took mainstream racing by storm. Spectacular career For anyone who missed it, 59-year-old Strydom announced his retirement from riding this week. He has not renewed his licence for the 2026 season and will ride his last race at the Vaal next week. The stats: six national jockey championships, four Durban Julys, seven wins on a card twice and 'five thousand, six hundred and, um, nearly twenty' career wins. The legend: one of the top two South African jockeys of all time, along with Muis Roberts. The pinnacle: beating the best jockeys and speed horses in the world aboard South Africa's J J The Jet Plane at Sha Tin in the Hong Kong Sprint in 2010. Piere Strydom after winning the 2016 Durban July on The Conglomerate. Picture: Steve Haag/Gallo Images Time to call it quits Speaking on a podcast hosted by his new employer Joao da Mata of Glistian Events, Striker said the time had come to finally hang up his saddle – after threatening to do so for a decade. 'It just came to the point where I didn't feel like getting on a horse,' he said. 'It's always nice to ride these winners, it still gives you a thrill … and knowing that you're doing the job right and to see other people happy. I've always been a competitive person, but how do I compete when I don't want to ride? 'I still do the job I need to do, but when you start thinking about the possibility of getting injured again and stuff like that you know it is time to call it.' He added that the cost of his insurance policies had also grown unsustainable. Looking ahead Strydom will keep busy in a hospitality role for Glistian – mixing with clients/guests at race days, golf days and other fun events. Racing scribes like me have written many thousands of words in praise of Piere Strydom over the decades. Racehorse owners like me have seen him win on our nags when the task looked impossible. Acquaintances such as I have always been touched by the friendliness, warmth and honesty of the man. There's not much more to say. Go well, Striker!
IOL News
6 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
Farmer loses SCA battle after harmful Facebook posts about lawyer following R3 million debt
SCA dismissed an appeal by farmer who posted inflammatory messages against an attorney over a debt. The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has dismissed an appeal from an aggrieved farmer, Francois Harman, who had taken to Facebook to post disparaging and inflammatory remarks against Pretoria attorney Pieter Strydom. Strydom, who acts as an insolvency practitioner, was representing the Land and Agricultural Development Bank of South Africa (Land Bank) in its legal proceedings against Harman for outstanding debts. The Land Bank and Unigro Financial Services advance loans to farmers and whenever a farmer falls in default of payment, the organisations would instruct Strydom to initiate legal proceedings to recover the debt. The legal dispute began when Harman and his company, Redlex, secured a loan from the Land Bank but fell into arrears, ultimately leading to a lawsuit for over R4.3 million. After Redlex was liquidated in July 2019, the Land Bank, represented by Strydom, secured a judgment against Harman in May 2020 for more than R3 million plus interest. Frustrated by the judgment and the financial toll it had taken on him, Harman resorted to social media to express his anger. His Facebook posts targeted Strydom and other officials at the Land Bank, accusing them of unethical behaviour and acting impartially. In response to his alarming online conduct, Strydom sought a protection order against Harman, which prohibited him from further harassment or verbal abuse through electronic communication. The order was obtained in Harman's absence.
IOL News
22-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Supreme Court ruling clarifies limits of freedom of expression in social media defamation cases
The Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that neither the Constitution nor freedom of expression is an excuse for defamation. Image: File Neither the Constitution nor the freedom of expression protects a person who posts defamatory material concerning another on social media, the Supreme Court of Appeal ruled in turning down an appeal by a farmer after a Facebook post by him sparked death threats against an attorney. A dispute arose between Pretoria attorney Pieter Strydom and farmer Francois Harman after the latter accused Strydom in a Facebook post of targeting white farmers. Strydom, upset by the contents of the post, obtained an urgent interdict against Harman to stop harassing him. The high court found that Harman and his friends and followers on his Facebook account posted and published offensive and life-threatening defamatory statements concerning Strydom. Some of the postings were found by the high court to amount to a smear campaign. The high court ordered Harman to remove the published material from his Facebook account, which referred to Strydom. Harman was further ordered to submit, under oath, a list of the particulars of the persons who made the responding postings. While Harman had meanwhile removed his posts, he turned to the SCA to appeal against the fact that he had to disclose the particulars of his followers who published threats against Strydom. Strydom is an attorney and insolvency practitioner who also represents the Land and Agricultural Development Bank of South Africa and its financial agent, Unigro Financial Services. The Land Bank and Unigro advance loans to farmers, subject to agreed terms and conditions, which include mortgaging their farms as collateral. The loan agreements provide for annual instalment payments of the amount loaned, due to seasonal harvest of the crops. Whenever a farmer falls in default of payment, the Land Bank instructs its attorneys, in this case, Strydom's law firm, to institute legal proceedings to recover the debt. Included among the farmers was Harman and his company, who fell into arrears with payments. Harman took to his Facebook account, stating that Strydom and some officials in the Land Bank were the cause of his problems. Strydom obtained an interdict against Harman, prohibiting him from committing verbal abuse through electronic communication as well as refraining from harassing him. The order was obtained in Harman's absence. The following day, a messenger tried to serve him with the protection order, but Harman denied them entry into his house and instead photographed them. After they left, he again took to his Facebook account and posted the pictures together with a post regarding how the lives of white farmers are made difficult in this country. On the same day, his Facebook post was followed by a slew of other vitriolic postings from different persons - some who made death threats towards Strydom. This resulted in the court ordering him to take down his post and to disclose the identities of those who had levelled threats and made defamatory statements towards Strydom. Harman refused to submit the list of his Facebook friends involved and cited various excuses, including that 'the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) prevented him from divulging this information. He also stated freedom of expression as an excuse. To post a message on Facebook that someone 'needs a bullet between the eyes' is an impermissible exercise of freedom of expression. The right to freedom of expression, like all rights, has limits. The one obvious limit is when its exercise encroaches into the domain of another person's right, the SCA said. It found that Strydom is entitled to the list of persons responsible for these unlawful acts in order to vindicate his rights, if he deems fit to do so. [email protected]
